afghanistan alone is costing $10 billion a month with the total price tag for iraq and afghanistan going back 10 years $3.2 trillion. and that's a conservative estimate, mr. speaker. these are staggering figures, especially during a recession when americans are crying out for washington to do something about creating jobs and breathing life back into our economy. and what are the taxpayers getting for their trillions of dollars in war spending? more than 6,100 dead americans, continued violence in iraq and a prime minister whose cozying up to iran and an ongoing civil war in libya. a corrupt regime in kabul, insurgents that continue to kill at will. in afghanistan, a nation still under crushing poverty and an afghan government that cannot protect its own people. by any measure these wars have been a devastating failure and yet with barely any scrutiny, barely any debate and certainly no outrage from republican leaders, we continue to write that check. meanwhile, we have domestic programs that work, proven investments in the survival and prosperity of our people. medicare, social security